Shloka 23

Kṣemadarśa–Kālakavṛkṣīya Saṃvāda: Counsel on Impermanence, Non-attachment, and Composure in Dispossession

Devanagari script

अनाब्याश्वापि जीवन्ति राज्यं चाप्यनुशासति । बुद्धिपौरुषसम्पन्नास्त्वया तुल्याधिका जना:,जो धनाढ्य नहीं हैं, वे भी जीते हैं और कोई राज्यका शासन भी करते हैं उनमेंसे कुछ तुम्हारे समान ही बुद्धि और पौरुषसे सम्पन्न हैं तथा कुछ तुमसे बढ़कर भी हो सकते हैं; परंतु वे भी तुम्हारी तरह शोक नहीं करते। अतः तुम भी शोक न करो। क्या तुम बुद्धि और पुरुषार्थमें उन मनुष्योंसे श्रेष्ठ या उनके समान नहीं हो?

Transliteration

anāḍhyāś cāpi jīvanti rājyaṃ cāpy anuśāsati | buddhi-pauruṣa-sampannās tvayā tulyādhikā janāḥ ||

Translation

भीष्म उवाच—अनाढ्याः अपि जीवन्ति, केचित् राज्यं चाप्यनुशासति। लोके बुद्धिपौरुषसम्पन्ना जनाः सन्ति त्वया तुल्याः, केचित् त्वत्तोऽप्यधिकाः; तथापि ते त्वदिव न शोचन्ति। तस्मात् त्वमपि मा शुचः। किं न त्वं तैर्नरैः तुल्यो वा श्रेयान् बुद्ध्या च पुरुषार्थेन च?

Word by Word

अनाभ्याश्वाःthose who have no horses (poor in resources)

अपिeven/also

जीवन्तिlive

राज्यम्kingdom

चand

अपिalso

अनुशासतिrules/governs

बुद्धि-पौरुष-सम्पन्नाःendowed with intellect and valor

त्वयाby you / compared with you

तुल्याःequal

अधिकाःsuperior

जनाःpeople

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Bhishma urges the listener to abandon debilitating grief by reflecting on resilience: many people, even without wealth, sustain life and shoulder responsibility; possessing intellect and resolve should lead to steadiness rather than sorrow.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Shanti Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhishthira after the war, offering ethical and practical counsel. Here he challenges excessive lamentation and redirects the mind toward fortitude, reason, and purposeful action.